AFP reports Tokyo stands ready to offer an experimental drug developed by

a Japanese company to help stem the global tide of the deadly Ebola virus, the top government spokesman said Monday (August 25, 2014).

“Our country is prepared to provide the yet-to-be approved drug in cooperation with the manufacturer if the WHO requests,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been discussing the use of unapproved drugs as a way of getting a handle on an outbreak in Africa that has already cost more than 1,400 lives, with thousands more people infected.

There is currently no available cure or vaccine for Ebola, and the WHO has declared the latest outbreak a global public health emergency.

Several drugs are under development.

The use of an experimental drug called ZMapp on two Americans and a Spanish priest infected with the virus while working in Africa has opened up an intense ethical debate.

The drug, which is in very short supply, has reportedly shown promising results in the two Americans, although the priest died.